Automatic thermostatic control for incubators.



A. OSTHEIMER. AUTOMATIC THERMOSTATIC CONTROL FOR INC UBATORS. APPLICATION FILED OCT 9. I916.

Patented June 11, 1918.

Z SHEETSSHEET l- 41 fisikzzmer A. OSTHEIMER. AUTOMATIC THERMOSTATIC CONTROL FOR INCUBATORS.

- APPLICATION FlLED OCT 9, 916. I 1,269, 1 1 2. Patented June 11; 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ADAM OSTHEIMER, orcL' vEL'AimpI iIo.

AUTOMATIC THEBMOTSTATIC coivrnon FonINoUBA'rons.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11119 11', 1918,

Application filed October 9, 1916. '7 Serial No. 124,642.

provide novel and eflicient means for automatically maintaining constant the temperature in an incubator.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for operating an alarm in the event that the temperature should change from a normal predetermined point.-

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel operator for opening and closing a ventilator to ma ntain constant the temperature in an incubator or the like.

A still further ob'ect of m invention is to provide a novel electrical means :for controlling the ventilator operator, an alarm being automatically operated, when the ven-.

tilator fails to operate.

A still further object of-my invention v to provide a device of the class descril' edv which may be installed upon any of the existing types of incubators without mate rial structural alteration of the same. v

A still further object of my invention is to provide a devioejof the class described embodying a novel arrangementof electrical circuits tending to simplify devices ofthis character and render more economic the maintenance of the same. j I Other objects and advantagesto be derived from the use of my improved automatic control for incubators will appear from the following detailed description and the claims, taken with an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in wh1ch Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a controlling mechanism embodying the improvements of my invention, thesame'being shown applied in operative position, and an incubator top is shown'in section;

Fig. 2 is a top planview of'the same;

F ig. 3. is an enlarged disassembledpen spective view of the ventilator operating .de-. vice;i i

Fig.4 is a diagrammatic view of the elecforming a base for the trica-l circuit controlling the ventilator operator; and

modified form of thermal circuit controller.

F ig- 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the 7 Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein similar characters of reference designate like and corresponding parts throughout the various views, 10 designates the top portion of a standard incubator operating mechanism for my invention.

forming a .seat for the closure .13, said closure being carried by a rocker arm 1' 1. said arm eXtendingradi-ally from a bearing ring 15, said" ring being mounted in a frame v The top 10 is provided with a ventilating opening 11 in which is mounted a ring 16 on bearingscrews 17. The frame 16 is connected to the under surface of the top 10 in any suitable manner; A rod 18 extends" y from theside of the ring opposite tothe rod.

14., the free end of the rod 18 having afcounter-weight 19 mounted thereon, said rod weight, the latter being adjustable thereby.

A shaft .21 is journaled' onv screws; 22 ar- 25 extends from theshaft 21 relatively} at ing 26 formed in the top 10.

being threaded aslat 20 to reeeive'said .80 H ranged in the frame 16, a rod 23 extending at right-angles from said shaft, the free end of said rod havingja wheel 2 41thereon toen- 'gagethe actuating rod 18.. A. vertical rod 8 5 .i*ight angles.thereto and tosaidrod 23,.saidf "j rod 25, extending tlirougha suitable ope n...l

I provide a shock absorbing and return 1 member. for normally maintaining the.

closure 13 in the closed position, said mem-f berconsisting of a plate 27 provided with a slot28 to receive the i'od 18, said plate be ing .forinedwith a rod portion29 threaded on itsupper free end to receive a wing nut,

30. Therod portion 29 extends through a suitable opening in the top 10, a coil spring 3l .being interposed between the top and i said wing nut, a washer 32 serving to re, 'ceive the tension of the spring.

I provide means for moving the closure 13 to open position and for again returning the same to olosedposition, said 'means including a pair of electro-magnets 33 and34gi0 The electro-magnets,

. are in the form of solenoids having movable mountedon suitable supports 35 and 36 carried by the top 10.

cores 3'? and 38, the adjacent ends of said will hereinafter appear.

cuitsembodiedin the preferred form of my invention are best shown in Fig.4 1n WlllCll' rotary type, the samehaving a lever 40 BX).

tending therefrom, said lever being formed with a hook 41 onits tree end to engagethe upper free end of the rod 25. The lever is bent to form a shaft 42 mounted in journals 43. Thecircuit closing element of the switchS'includes an insulating body por tion 44 anda contact plate 45, said plate.

being-adapted, at times, to bridge the distance between the brushes 46,47 and, 48" to produce a result which "will hereinafter appear.

The brushes 47 and 48 are provided with binding. posts 49 and 50 for a purpose which The electrical cirthe-main trunk conductor is designated 53, thesame leading from a source of electrical energy such as a battery 54 or the like. A

thermostat 55 isinterposed in. the conductor 53, said thermostat forming one terminal of a switch 8. Working circuit con ductors are provided designated 56 and 57,

i the conductor 56 "terminating above the switch .9 and the conductor 57 terminating below the same. Two binding posts 58 and 59 are mounted on the top 10, theconductor 56 being connected to the binding post 58 and the conductor 57 to the binding post 59.

A conductor 61 leadsfrom the binding post 58, the electro-magnet 33 being interposed in said conductor the .free end of the conductor connecting with the binding post 50.

A conductor 63 extends from the binding post 59, the electro-magnet 34 being interposed in. said conductor, the continuation of said conductor 63 being connected to the brush 46. A return conductor 64 leads from the brush .47 to the battery 54.

The alarmcircuits are, designated a and a, the terminals of .the circuit a being connected with the brush 46 and at 66 with the conductor 64, .the terminals of the circuit a being connected with the brush 48' and at the point 66 hereinbefore referred to. A buzzer 7) and a bell Z)" form the signalingdevices in said circuits at and a, respectively.

The detailed structure of the circuit closer s is shown to advantage in Fig. 1, a pair of expansiondisks 67. being, provided, the same being mounted in a frame 68 suspended from; the under face of the top 10. A red 69nextends upwardly through the top 10 from said disk members, said rod having a plate 7 0, on itsnpper free end. A bracket P contact point 73 for engagement, at times with the plate 70. An adjustable contact 74 ismounted onathebase to be engaged by the plate. 70, at times. The bracket 71 is suitably insulated from the base of the device as indicated at 75.

In F ig-. 5 a modified form of thermostatic circuit closer is shown, the same being in theformof a usual thermometer 76 having. one conductor 77 connected to the bulb thereof-and-in continual contact with the temperature indicator, which is usually mercury. The circuits to be controlled are connected at the points 78 so that when the mercury rises or varies with the temperature one or the other of thecircuits is energized' In operation, assumlng that the tempera ture-is'normal and that the closure member is in the open position the thermostatic switch 8 would be in the position shown in Fig. 4. Should the temperature lower owingto the fact that the closure is opened'the plate would engage'the contact point 74" energizing the conductor 57, the current flowing therethrough to the electro-magnet 34. When in open position the switch S isin the position shown in Fig. 2, that is, all of the brushes 46, 47 and 48 are interconnected. When the electro-magnet 34 is energized the link 39 is moved toward the right,

this movement raising the rod 23 and mov-- ing the switch from the position shown to that shown in Fig. 4, disconnecting the brush 46 from. the other brushes. Raising the arm 23 permitsthe spring 31 to move the closure 13 to the closed position.

This movementvofthe switclrs causes the current to flow through the electro-magnetq,

34 and buzzer 1), thereby operating an alarm. When the closure 13 is moved to the closed position the temperature necessarily rises in the incubator. This will cause thethermostatic switch is to raise closing the circuit in which the electro-magnet 133' is interposed. Current now flows through the electro-magnet 33, plate 45 of the switch Sythrough; the

brush 47, thence through the conductor 64 back to the battery. The electro-magnet acts upon the link to move the arm-25 to the position shown in Fig.- 1 which through" the medium of the arm 23 acts upon the rod 18 to open the closure. As the plate 45 disconnects fromthe brush 48 currentisshunted through the bell b, an :alarm being given. When the temperature becomes normal within the incubator the thermostatic switch .9 maintains a neutral position and no alarm is given.- It will bereadily apparentthat the device of my invention .maysbe easilyapplied for use in connection with any of the existing types ofincubators. I do not desire to be limited to; the exact arrangement 'of the circuit closing elements or the arrangement of the circuits,- s1nce varlous modifications of the same may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The use of the circuit closer disclosed in Fig. 5 is practically identical with that of the thermostatic switch S.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that a clear and comprehensive understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of my invention may be had, and while I have shown and described the device as embodying specific structure, I desire that it be understood that such changes may be made in said structure as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 2-- 1. In a device as specified, the combination with a base having a ventilating opening therein, of a frame suspended from said base, a rocker arm journaled in said frame and having a closure on the free end thereof to engage with said Ventilating opening, an actuating arm pivoted in said frame to engage said rocker arm, one end of said actuating arm extending through the base, a pair of electro-magnets adapted for alternate operation, said magnets operatively engaged with the free end of said actuating arm, a circuit controller operable by said electro-magnets to alternately energize a signal, and a thermostatic circuit closer within an area to be heated and interposed in the circuit of said electro-magnet to alternately energize the same upon changes in temperature.

. 2. In a device as specified, the combination with a base having a ventilating opening therein, of a frame mounted beneath said base and having a rocker arm therein, one end of said arm having a closure for said opening, a shock absorber and return member carried by said base to engage said rocker arm, an actuating arm pivoted to said frame and extending through said base, a pair of solenoids on said base, cores operable in said solenoids and operatively connected with said actuating arm, a thermostatic circuit closer interposed in the circuits of said electro-magnets to alternately energize the same upon changes in temperature,

and a mechanical circuit closer actuated'by said electro-magnets to independently control their respective circuits.

3. In a device as specified, the combination with a base having a ventilating opening therein, of aframe mounted beneath said base, a rocker arm carried thereby, one end of said arm-having a closure for the opening, a shaft journaled in said frame, an actuating arm on said shaft extending through the base, a supplemental angularly disposed arm on said shaft positioned parallel with and engaging the rocker arm, a pair of oppositely disposed solenoids on said base, connected cores carried thereby, and said connection engaging the actuating arm to move the rocker arm.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

ADAM OSTHEIMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I. G. 

